This invention relates to a skate brake system and methods for multiple braking effects for in-line skates, roller skates and like devices.
In-line skating is one of the fastest growing sports in the world today because it offers individuals an opportunity to attain a great exercise benefit, the advantage of being a highly enjoyable endeavor and the occasion to travel from place to place in the great outdoors. Also, the great likeness of in-line skating to ice skating has seen the rise of cross-training in the off season for skaters as well as hockey enthusiasts. Concurrently, there has been a tremendous rise in the rate of serious injuries from in-line skating especially among young children chiefly due to lack of an effective, low cost and easy to use braking mechanism.
Some of the commonly used braking devices employ little more than a fixed rubber stopper cantilevered from the back of a skate which requires the skater to awkwardly shift weight to one skate and then drag the stopper of the other skate along the skating surface to gain some braking effect. Stopping distances are often great with this device and planning of when and where to stop is necessary, especially when skating at advanced speeds. This design is of little value to skaters when a Sudden stop is required or when attempting to stop going down hill, Also, a prime disadvantage is that the stopper can interfere with skating during cornering or when crossing over as it is normally held close to the skating surface on most skates. An improvement over the stopper is a design which uses a heel-cuff activated stopper. This device requires the skater to slide the braking foot forward 2-3 feet which in turn pivots the cuff rearward thus pushing the stopper down and into contact with the skating surface. Better balance is thus maintained during skating and an improved braking effect is realized. However, the disadvantages of this design are significant as the skater must extend the braking skate along the skating surface; far forward of the other skate to gain an increase in braking effect. Also, the ability to maintain the brake when stopped requires the skater to remain in an outstretched position with skates 2-3 feet apart. Additionally, the device is virtually unusable when going downhill and the stopper, although adjustable can interfere when cornering. An additional disadvantage is the higher cost of purchasing skates which incorporate this device.
More recently, there has been an increasing number of devices which employ use of a series of linkages which are activated either from a pivotally motivated heel cuff or a cable pull. These devices use the force of a levered hand grip or in some cases an electrically actuated solenoid to move a brake pad into contact with the skating surface or with one of the skate wheels. Such devices are somewhat complicated, involve hand/foot coordination and can be expensive to manufacture. None address the issue of inadvertent stopper contact with the skating surface during cornering or can provide effective braking when going downhill. Additionally, keeping the braking foot parallel to the skating surface during braking is not always good practice as has been promoted by producers of these devices. In actuality, to account for the force component along the skating surface due to the skater's weight and momentum during braking it is more desirable to have a support held at an angle to the skating surface as what occurs when the skate is tilted back during braking. Although a braking action is afforded by use of these devices significant disadvantages are clearly evident in their designs. My skate brake system and methods for multiple braking effects offers tremendous improvements and advantages over all of these devices in every way.
The most significant advantage of my skate brake system is the effectiveness of braking due to use of a driving pinion to force the friction surface into the skating surface. This is accomplished as a result of the translation of the skate wheel axle through slots which in turn force a linkage to reverse this motion as it rides upon a strategically positioned ramp. The variable stiffness mechanism allows an intuitive use of a skater's body to control the braking effect, unlike any device on the market today. A great advantage of this device for the manufacturer is the cost effectiveness and simplicity of design, making it easily produced by currently available fabrication methods. A key advantage of my device is that the stopper is held high above the skating surface until it is needed This eliminates inadvertent rubbing of the stopper during cornering or crossing over when skating. A novel advantage of my device is it's ability to brake effectively when going down hill. This unparalleled ability is accomplished by moving the rear wheel upward which allows contact between the stopper and skating surface while the skate is held at an angle to said surface. Thus, the skater achieves control over the components of force in both the direction of skating and the direction of gravitational attraction. An appealing advantage of my device is it's intuitive use. The motion required to actuate the braking mechanism is somewhat similar to executing a common "T-stop" as is done when ice skating. This makes use of my device easy for children and novices to learn and gives skaters confidence in their ability to quickly "stop on demand", something not found on any braking device sold today for in-line skates. In essence, my skate brake system and methods for multiple braking effects offers the safest, least costly, easiest to use and most effective skate brake for in-line skates, roller skates and like devices available anywhere.